Empress of the Seas - the WOW and the not so WOW

This was a very special cruise for us. When we started this craze of cruising, it was on board the Nordic Empress (now Empress of the Seas) in 1998. Now, 34 cruises later, we found a way to get back to the lovely Empress. Pretty awesome to revisit where it all began.

EMBARKATION: POOF and we were on! It helps that there weren’t many other ships at port that day, but it was pretty fast.

FOOD: Lots has been said about the Windjammer on board the Empress, and yes, it’s a cluster blank. Lots of people feasting in a small area. Remember, Empress is not a large ship, so you kind of expect massive commotion at the Windjammer. The food was ok and the variety was ok. Nothing spectacular. We noticed that the Windjammer would almost repeat what the dining room had for dinner. We found the dining room to be hit and miss. Some nights the food was great and others it was borderline awful. It all depended on what you ordered. Stay away from the daily salmon. Bland and definitely frozen. Not good. I didn’t care for the daily strip steak either but my wife liked it. Pork shank was very good. Like I said, hit and miss.

Back to the Windjammer, it’s all very confusing. The layout of foods is all over the place, with eggs on one side and potatoes on the other. They would do better to replicate both sides equally, perhaps offering less variety in order to move the line along better. Also, the night buffet (after 10:30 pm) was not that great. This was my first cruise that I could not enjoy a slice or two of pizza before turning in for the night. The buffet has burgers and dogs and an assortment of other stuff, but no pizza! BIG bummer! Kind of weird because they have pizza at lunchtime every day.

STATEROOMS: We had an oceanview and it was snug but very clean. Empress is one of those ships where, if the two beds are put together, someone sleeps against the wall. We slid the beds over a few inches so we had an equal amount of space on either side. That worked better and had us wondering why they don’t do that to begin with.

CASINO: Yes, we made our donation. The AC is still not working very well in the casino but we did like the fact that there was NO smoking in the casino at all. That alone made for a more enjoyable experience.

ENTERTAINMENT: Fantastic shows all the way around! Some very high quality entertainment. Loved every show! Of particular note was a group called Britain’s Finest. They were a Beatles tribute band and were literally spot on from instruments to voices to arrangements. Really loved them!

We don’t have kids so we can’t comment on the kids programs. The pool area was quite busy but when we were in port, there were very few people near the pool. It was the perfect time to enjoy the pool.

OVERALL: We had watched the video that we shot in 1998 of the Nordic Empress to prepare for this trip and were extremely impressed with the refurbishment done to the ship. Just WOW! Most of the public rooms had been updated top to bottom. Exceptions would be the theater which has the same old fixtures but newer seating and furniture. The dining room was the same, familiar fixtures but new seating and furniture. There are also many small signs left over from the Pullmatur days, but not that noticeable. Boleros on deck six aft was really well done. It has a very Cuban feel (apparently getting the ship ready for its eventual Cuban cruises) and extremely well appointed. All in all, if you didn’t know the ship was 26 years old you would not be able to tell. For a short cruise, this ship is one you should book, if only for the small ship experience. Hopefully the food will improve a little.

PERSONAL BEEF: Note to all – do NOT take your water bottle up to the beverage dispensers in the buffet and fill them up! The signs say that it is a health hazard and the warnings do include YOU! Bad enough that people were doing it with refillable bottles (which they say you should also not do), but when I saw one guy put his Evian bottle up to the water dispenser and fill it, I thought I was going to lose it. Now his mouth germs have contaminated the water dispenser spigot! For the three or four people who are reading this and wondering how else to do it, take a glass, fill it up and then pour it into your bottle! Easy! For the rest of you who know better, sorry you had to read my rant. Whew, I’m done!

Thanks for the report.

Were there a production show by the RC singers and dancers?

This was a very special cruise for us. When we started this craze of cruising, it was on board the Nordic Empress (now Empress of the Seas) in 1998. Now, 34 cruises later, we found a way to get back to the lovely Empress. Pretty awesome to revisit where it all began.

 

ENTERTAINMENT: Fantastic shows all the way around! Some very high quality entertainment. Loved every show! Of particular note was a group called Britain’s Finest. They were a Beatles tribute band and were literally spot on from instruments to voices to arrangements. Really loved them!

 

quote]

 

Hello jt1120:

Thank you so much for your kind words regarding Britain's Finest's show on Empress of the Seas, their first ever cruise appearance! Great comments are coming in on this and other social media sites! They project such a fun personality on stage that people respond to; especially since they were so excited about cruising!

 

Britain's Finest is currently continuing on two more cruises on the Empress, both a 5nt. Western Caribbean itinerary. They are so excited and very appreciative of this fantastic opportunity to play for passengers on Royal Caribbean Cruise Line! After they return to Southern California, they only have a couple of shows before flying to Liverpool, England in late August where they have been invited to represent the USA at International Beatleweek Festival, the largest Beatles gathering in the world, which attracts appx.100,000 fans from around the world.

 

Hopefully, Britain's Finest will be performing on more cruises in the future! Thank you again! I will forward your kind words on to the guys so they will see it while they are still onboard.

 

Best regards,

 

Anita Pederson, Press Agent

Britain's Finest - Ultimate Beatles Experience

anita.pederson@hotmail.com

http://www.britainsfinestband.com

This was a very special cruise for us. When we started this craze of cruising, it was on board the Nordic Empress (now Empress of the Seas) in 1998. Now, 34 cruises later, we found a way to get back to the lovely Empress. Pretty awesome to revisit where it all began.

 

ENTERTAINMENT: Fantastic shows all the way around! Some very high quality entertainment. Loved every show! Of particular note was a group called Britain’s Finest. They were a Beatles tribute band and were literally spot on from instruments to voices to arrangements. Really loved them!

 

quote]

 

Hello jt1120:

Thank you so much for your kind words regarding Britain's Finest's show on Empress of the Seas, their first ever cruise appearance! Great comments are coming in on this and other social media sites! They project such a fun personality on stage that people respond to; especially since they were so excited about cruising!

 

Britain's Finest is currently continuing on two more cruises on the Empress, both a 5nt. Western Caribbean itinerary. They are so excited and very appreciative of this fantastic opportunity to play for passengers on Royal Caribbean Cruise Line! After they return to Southern California, they only have a couple of shows before flying to Liverpool, England in late August where they have been invited to represent the USA at International Beatleweek Festival, the largest Beatles gathering in the world, which attracts appx.100,000 fans from around the world.

 

Hopefully, Britain's Finest will be performing on more cruises in the future! Thank you again! I will forward your kind words on to the guys so they will see it while they are still onboard.

 

Best regards,

 

Anita Pederson, Press Agent

Britain's Finest - Ultimate Beatles Experience

anita.pederson@hotmail.com

http://www.britainsfinestband.com

 

Interesting in the we got off Empress last week and the group was called Beatle Mania as far as I remember. I had a long talk with "Ringo" who has been with the group for 30 years and started out with Wolfman Jack and his enterprize. He could not point me to a website as he said they were currently restructuring it (ie., Under Construction).

 

The group that was on last week may have not been the group seen in the photographs in the above referenced website; or, they are the same group using different names. They were excellent and worth seeing. According to "Ringo", they have appeared on several other RCI ships so that is why a I am questioning the name, etc. of the group.

Thank you for posting.

Ugh! The water bottle things. I have such a hard time with this on ships. And people eating from their plates in the Windjammer while IN line, licking their fingers, then using the serving utensils. I have almost said something to another cruiser before. That's exactly how norovirus spreads like wildfire through a cruise ship.

I just don't understand why it's so difficult to follow appropriate hygiene guidelines. Think I need to go find my Purell...

Again, thank you for sharing your experiences. Hope you had an enjoyable time.

 

Interesting in the we got off Empress last week and the group was called Beatle Mania as far as I remember. I had a long talk with "Ringo" who has been with the group for 30 years and started out with Wolfman Jack and his enterprize. He could not point me to a website as he said they were currently restructuring it (ie., Under Construction).

 

The group that was on last week may have not been the group seen in the photographs in the above referenced website; or, they are the same group using different names. They were excellent and worth seeing. According to "Ringo", they have appeared on several other RCI ships so that is why a I am questioning the name, etc. of the group.

 

Different group, Britains Finest the best Beatles tribute have ever seen.

 

PERSONAL BEEF: Note to all – do NOT take your water bottle up to the beverage dispensers in the buffet and fill them up! The signs say that it is a health hazard and the warnings do include YOU! Bad enough that people were doing it with refillable bottles (which they say you should also not do), but when I saw one guy put his Evian bottle up to the water dispenser and fill it, I thought I was going to lose it. Now his mouth germs have contaminated the water dispenser spigot! For the three or four people who are reading this and wondering how else to do it, take a glass, fill it up and then pour it into your bottle! Easy! For the rest of you who know better, sorry you had to read my rant. Whew, I’m done!

Thanks for the report.

 

Were there a production show by the RC singers and dancers?

Bob, I had read a comment by Nick Weir that Sequins and Feathers is also being performed on the Empress as well as Quantum and Ovation.

Bob, I had read a comment by Nick Weir that Sequins and Feathers is also being performed on the Empress as well as Quantum and Ovation.

Thanks Ken.

Bob, I had read a comment by Nick Weir that Sequins and Feathers is also being performed on the Empress as well as Quantum and Ovation.

Thanks Ken.

Sequins & Feathers was the Boarding Day show when we were on the Empress in May. The performers, costumes, and show were the best we have seen on a Royal ship - very professional! We would love to see it again, but there's that work thing that keeps interfering with our vacation plans!

Sequins & Feathers was the Boarding Day show when we were on the Empress in May. The performers, costumes, and show were the best we have seen on a Royal ship - very professional! We would love to see it again, but there's that work thing that keeps interfering with our vacation plans!

Sounds like an excellent show, we've not seen that one before.

Sounds like an excellent show, we've not seen that one before.

We were pleasantly surprised with all the entertainment on the Empress but S&F really stood out.! If you get a chance, definitely take the time to see it!

This was a very special cruise for us. When we started this craze of cruising, it was on board the Nordic Empress (now Empress of the Seas) in 1998. Now, 34 cruises later, we found a way to get back to the lovely Empress. Pretty awesome to revisit where it all began.

 

EMBARKATION: POOF and we were on! It helps that there weren’t many other ships at port that day, but it was pretty fast.

 

FOOD: Lots has been said about the Windjammer on board the Empress, and yes, it’s a cluster blank. Lots of people feasting in a small area. Remember, Empress is not a large ship, so you kind of expect massive commotion at the Windjammer. The food was ok and the variety was ok. Nothing spectacular. We noticed that the Windjammer would almost repeat what the dining room had for dinner. We found the dining room to be hit and miss. Some nights the food was great and others it was borderline awful. It all depended on what you ordered. Stay away from the daily salmon. Bland and definitely frozen. Not good. I didn’t care for the daily strip steak either but my wife liked it. Pork shank was very good. Like I said, hit and miss.

 

Back to the Windjammer, it’s all very confusing. The layout of foods is all over the place, with eggs on one side and potatoes on the other. They would do better to replicate both sides equally, perhaps offering less variety in order to move the line along better. Also, the night buffet (after 10:30 pm) was not that great. This was my first cruise that I could not enjoy a slice or two of pizza before turning in for the night. The buffet has burgers and dogs and an assortment of other stuff, but no pizza! BIG bummer! Kind of weird because they have pizza at lunchtime every day.

 

STATEROOMS: We had an oceanview and it was snug but very clean. Empress is one of those ships where, if the two beds are put together, someone sleeps against the wall. We slid the beds over a few inches so we had an equal amount of space on either side. That worked better and had us wondering why they don’t do that to begin with.

 

CASINO: Yes, we made our donation. The AC is still not working very well in the casino but we did like the fact that there was NO smoking in the casino at all. That alone made for a more enjoyable experience.

 

ENTERTAINMENT: Fantastic shows all the way around! Some very high quality entertainment. Loved every show! Of particular note was a group called Britain’s Finest. They were a Beatles tribute band and were literally spot on from instruments to voices to arrangements. Really loved them!

 

We don’t have kids so we can’t comment on the kids programs. The pool area was quite busy but when we were in port, there were very few people near the pool. It was the perfect time to enjoy the pool.

 

OVERALL: We had watched the video that we shot in 1998 of the Nordic Empress to prepare for this trip and were extremely impressed with the refurbishment done to the ship. Just WOW! Most of the public rooms had been updated top to bottom. Exceptions would be the theater which has the same old fixtures but newer seating and furniture. The dining room was the same, familiar fixtures but new seating and furniture. There are also many small signs left over from the Pullmatur days, but not that noticeable. Boleros on deck six aft was really well done. It has a very Cuban feel (apparently getting the ship ready for its eventual Cuban cruises) and extremely well appointed. All in all, if you didn’t know the ship was 26 years old you would not be able to tell. For a short cruise, this ship is one you should book, if only for the small ship experience. Hopefully the food will improve a little.

 

PERSONAL BEEF: Note to all – do NOT take your water bottle up to the beverage dispensers in the buffet and fill them up! The signs say that it is a health hazard and the warnings do include YOU! Bad enough that people were doing it with refillable bottles (which they say you should also not do), but when I saw one guy put his Evian bottle up to the water dispenser and fill it, I thought I was going to lose it. Now his mouth germs have contaminated the water dispenser spigot! For the three or four people who are reading this and wondering how else to do it, take a glass, fill it up and then pour it into your bottle! Easy! For the rest of you who know better, sorry you had to read my rant. Whew, I’m done!

Thanks we sail on Empress on August 25th.....Carlos Torres as CD does do a great job creating a very entertaining activity menu and the shows just become a highlight from what others have said who have cruised on Empress so far. Our cruise will be his last on this rotation and he hands off to Elvis Pinto, who should do an equally terrific job. I have heard that the Latin buzz was everywhere and that is typical of a Carlos Caribbean sailing and Elvis will only add to that flavor.

Thanks for the review.

CASINO: Yes, we made our donation. The AC is still not working very well in the casino but we did like the fact that there was NO smoking in the casino at all. That alone made for a more enjoyable experience.

We too made a donation but the NO SMOKING made it so much better to be there :0))

PERSONAL BEEF: Note to all – do NOT take your water bottle up to the beverage dispensers in the buffet and fill them up! The signs say that it is a health hazard and the warnings do include YOU! Bad enough that people were doing it with refillable bottles (which they say you should also not do), but when I saw one guy put his Evian bottle up to the water dispenser and fill it, I thought I was going to lose it. Now his mouth germs have contaminated the water dispenser spigot! For the three or four people who are reading this and wondering how else to do it, take a glass, fill it up and then pour it into your bottle! Easy! For the rest of you who know better, sorry you had to read my rant. Whew, I’m done!

This is one of my biggest PET PEEVES ... WHY do people think this does NOT apply them ???

All in all, if you didn’t know the ship was 26 years old you would not be able to tell. For a short cruise, this ship is one you should book, if only for the small ship experience.

I couldn't agree more :0))) Loved the Empress and ready to go again !!!

 

Different group, Britains Finest the best Beatles tribute have ever seen.

 

After finding Britain's Finest FB page they are definitely not the group that was on 7/9.

 

Based on our opinion and many on board Beatle Mania were the best Beatle act we had ever seen.

I couldn't agree more :0))) Loved the Empress and ready to go again !!!

So happy to hear the good reviews...am on her in September!! :D

 

Interesting in the we got off Empress last week and the group was called Beatle Mania as far as I remember. I had a long talk with "Ringo" who has been with the group for 30 years and started out with Wolfman Jack and his enterprize. He could not point me to a website as he said they were currently restructuring it (ie., Under Construction).

 

The group that was on last week may have not been the group seen in the photographs in the above referenced website; or, they are the same group using different names. They were excellent and worth seeing. According to "Ringo", they have appeared on several other RCI ships so that is why a I am questioning the name, etc. of the group.

 

 

Hello there,

 

I hope this will clear up any confusion, Britain's Finest is definitely a different Beatles tribute band than Beatle Mania. (So, the photos of the group that was on last week would not be on the website referenced nor are they the same group using different names.) Several different Beatles tribute bands have appeared on other Royal ships in the past and will in the future. In the tribute world, there are many bands across the country, especially in California and many members know each other and play with them if necessary or an emergency ('the show must go on').

 

Britain's Finest members have played professionally for over 15 years with other groups including RAIN and Fab Four, and later decided to form their own group, Britain's Finest. They have played across the U.S., have toured internationally including Philippines, Korea, Mexico, Canada; have played private corporate events, casinos, festivals, performing arts theatres across the U.S., and other cruise lines including Princess and Royal. Their testimonials include Ringo Starr, Louise Harrison (George's sister), and John Lennon's recording engineer, which Britain's Finest is very appreciative. This year, they have been invited to represent the USA in August at International Beatleweek in Liverpool, England, which attracts over 100,000 fans each year.

 

It is unfortunate that you were on the 7/9 sailing and did not hear them perform, as they boarded on 7/14. We were very happy to read another CC posting that was very complimentary. It is great that many Beatles tribute bands continue to play Beatles music for thousands to hear! :)

 

Sincerely,

 

 

Anita Pederson

Britain's Finest

http://www.britainsfinestband.com

Facebook: Britain's Finest

Hi! I'm starting to plan for my cruise next month on the Empress. What times were the shows? I'd like to make some dinner reservations (I'm on My Time dining), but don't want to miss the entertainment.

Thanks so much!!

Michelle

FOOD: Back to the Windjammer, it’s all very confusing. The layout of foods is all over the place, with eggs on one side and potatoes on the other. They would do better to replicate both sides equally, perhaps offering less variety in order to move the line along better.

Less variety! Bite your tongue!

I appreciate your point of view, but the last thing I want is fewer items from which to choose.

 

After finding Britain's Finest FB page they are definitely not the group that was on 7/9.

 

Based on our opinion and many on board Beatle Mania were the best Beatle act we had ever seen.

May be the best until you have seen Britains Finest. Have seen both, Britains Finest the best. IMO

Hi! I'm starting to plan for my cruise next month on the Empress. What times were the shows? I'd like to make some dinner reservations (I'm on My Time dining), but don't want to miss the entertainment.

 

Thanks so much!!

 

Michelle

Shows were at 7:15 and 9:15, with the exception of Day 5 when "Three" was at 7:45 and 9:45.

We went to MTD everynite at 7pm and had plenty of time for the late shows.

OP: Thanks for the review!

Less variety! Bite your tongue!

 

I appreciate your point of view, but the last thing I want is fewer items from which to choose.

Agreed. I'd rather deal with the crowds.

Thank you!!